by Kensie King
My astral self came back to my body, and I covered my face with my hands. I wasn’t strong enough to get all the way to my house. Not now. Or maybe it was just because I didn’t have an item from the person I was trying to reach. I needed somewhere closer.
My mother’s house was farther away and so was Grace’s.
Gage was closest.
But I didn’t know if I could even make it there. With our connection, though, maybe it’d help.
Dammit. I really didn’t want to involve him in this, but it was my only option.
Focusing a long moment before I projected helped, and this time I was able to make it all the way to Gage’s bedroom. It was dim inside, the shutters drawn, and the sun barely starting to come up outside.
I spotted the lump on the bed and tried to move closer. My first swipe at the covers missed, going right through the comforter that I remember being soft and plush. I tried again, but it still didn’t connect. My limbs started flickering in and out.
“Gage,” I said.
My voice was soft, barely audible above his breathing.
I tried speaking louder. “Gage.”
He jerked to a sitting position, eyes opening. His hair was ruffled, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. When he saw me, he said, “Holy shit.”
Gage dragged the covers closer to his body, and if I wasn’t so worried about getting through to him, I might have been amused.
“I need help,” I said.
He narrowed his eyes, and then they widened when he realized he could see through me.
“I’m in a well by the cave…” I reached for him and heard him say my name as I was ripped away.
I was back in the well fast enough to make me dizzy. I sank against the stones and wrapped my arms around myself, shaking so hard my teeth started chattering again. There was no power left in me. I felt like I did a few years ago. Normal. Empty of magic.
But then I wasn’t stuck in a well. Or freezing.
“Help me, Gage,” I whispered, as though he could somehow still hear me.
I huddled like that against the stone for what felt like forever, trying to stay awake so I wouldn’t miss any voices in case someone was out there.
After I could barely feel the rest of my body anymore, I heard it. It sounded like it was coming from a dream. The faint echo of voices. Some of them female and some male. All calling my name.
I tried to stand, but my knees immediately buckled beneath me. Forcing myself to get to my feet again, I braced my hand on the stone wall and held myself up.
“Help,” my voice croaked out. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Help. Over here.”
But I doubted they could hear me. And they probably expected to find me in the cave. Did anyone even know there was a well over here?
“Help!” It was louder this time, and Gage had to be one of the people out there. He had super hearing, he had to know I was here. Or Grace—she was supposed to be able to sense supernatural beings, right? If Grace was even here.
Gazing up at the planks of wood still half covering the opening, I narrowed my gaze. I needed something to get their attention.
Curling my hands into fists and gritting my teeth, I focused on one plank of wood. I pictured myself punching it, hurling it into the air. It flew from the top of the well, shooting into the sky before falling somewhere beyond the hole and what I could see.
“There!”
It was Dylan. And his shout was so welcome, I sank to my knees again, splashing in the water. My jeans were already soaked through, half my shirt damp at the bottom. I didn’t care, they were here to help me.
Moments later, a few faces peered over the edge of the well, looking down.
“I’m here,” I said, voice low.
“Oh my God,” Grace said. “He’s down there.”
Gage was here, too, and Audrey. Dylan was looking incredulous, like he couldn’t believe I was here when we were on the couch together late last night. He could be mad at me later; I was just relieved they all worked together to find me.
“I have rope in my car,” Gage said, disappearing.
Audrey leaned in. “Link, are you hurt?”
“I…” I swallowed, looking around as though I’d find the answer in the murky depths of this abandoned well. “I fell in.”
“You fell?” Grace asked, brow furrowing.
My teeth chattered and I shook my head. “Yes. No. I mean, Savannah pushed me in.”
Dylan frowned, and I rubbed my hands over my face. “I know it sounds crazy. Please, just get me out.”
“It’s okay, Link,” Dylan soothed. “Gage’s coming with the rope. You’ll be out of there soon.”
I folded my arms over my chest, shaking hard. I still couldn’t feel Savannah. Maybe she was out of power, too. Attempted homicide could do that to a person.
It felt like years before Gage returned with the rope. Dylan’s face disappeared above, and I heard the low murmur of voices before Gage peered in.
“I’m going to toss this in, Link,” he said. “Grab on. Step on the knot at the end.”
He dropped the rope inside the well and lowered it far enough I could reach. I had to force my hands open because my fingers were like ice and unwilling to cooperate. I clung to the rope as hard as I could, stepping on the knot at the bottom.
“I d-don’t think I c-can climb it,” I said, teeth chattering.
“It’s okay,” Gage said. “Hold on. We’ll pull you up.”
He disappeared again, but I could feel the strain of the rope as he and Dylan started pulling and lifting me from the bottom of the well. My sore arm hit the side stones, making me wince, but I held on without a sound. I was getting out.
Once I neared the surface, Grace appeared again. “Almost,” she said.
“Watch out.” Dylan nudged her aside.
He reached for me. I tried to unlatch my fingers from the rope, but they didn’t want to cooperate. I was afraid I was going to fall back in.
“Link, please,” he said, “I’ve got you.”
I put my arms around his neck. It was warm and his arms were strong and safe around me as he hauled me out the rest of the way before lowering me to the ground.
Gage dropped to my side and touched my arm. “Link—what the hell? You’re freezing.”
Dylan shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it around me. I winced as I slid my arms through the sleeves. My elbow throbbed and I could feel a large bruise forming on the back of my arm. I could barely hold myself up in a sitting position.
“What else hurts?” Gage asked, searching my face.
I blinked, trying to clear my vision. It was so bright up here and my eyes were tired from lack of sleep. “I hit my head.”
He reached for it automatically, like he was some kind of doctor instead of a vampire. “Where?”
“It’s fine. I’m j-just—”
Before I could protest, Gage scooped me into his arms. “We need to get you somewhere warm.”
“Our house is closest,” Audrey said, following as Gage started back to the hotel.
“I sh-should go home.”
Dylan stepped up beside us. “He’s right, I can take him home.”
Gage barely spared him a glance. “My house is closer. Either that or a doctor.”
“Gage,” I started, wrapping my hand around his arm.
He shook his head. “Your hands are like ice. Your lips are blue, Link. No, we’re getting you somewhere warm—and fast.”
He walked swiftly, past the opening to the cave.
“Wait, Gage—wait. Th-the cave.”
“What about it?” he asked, not slowing down. There was worry in his eyes, at the corners of his mouth.
“The Book of Shadows. That’s why I was out here. Stop, Gage.”
“No.”
I glanced over to Dylan. “I need to stop Savannah.”
“I hate to say this but Gage’s right. You need to get somewhere warm.”
Audrey nodded. “Listen to them, Link.
We’ll come back some other time.”
Gage frowned like that wasn’t going to happen either, but he didn’t say anything. I held Dylan’s jacket closer to my body, too tired to talk anymore. My head dropped to Gage’s shoulder, making his shirt wet.
“We’re almost there,” he whispered close to my ear.
For once, I allowed myself to be comforted by him. Savannah was far away from me right now and she couldn’t make me try to hurt him. When we reached the parking lot, I found Gage’s car and Dylan’s truck parked next to mine. Gage went straight for his car and Audrey opened the door.
“I can take him,” Dylan said, reaching for me.
“No,” Gage all but growled.
Dylan stepped up to him, but Grace jumped in his way. “Okay boys, there’s a bigger picture here. Let’s save the fighting for another time.”
Even Audrey stepped closer. She looked to Dylan, obviously sympathizing with his feelings. “Come on. Follow us.”
Dylan grumbled something but met my eyes. “We’ll be right behind you.”
I nodded. I was glad he and Grace were coming, but surprised because that was probably the last place they wanted to be. I was also surprised because they weren’t the only ones I wanted there.
I also wanted my mother.
Chapter 15
“Please, not your room,” I told Gage, sounding pathetic.
He gave me an amused look as he carried me up the stairs. “Why’s that? You don’t like my room?”
“It’s—it’s your room. It’s intimate.” And it was even more embarrassing because Audrey was following right behind us. “Just put me down here.”
Gage only smiled gently “Take a shower, warm up. Please. It’ll make me feel better.”
Suddenly, I remembered the conversation with my mom. Her words about someone from Knob Creek murdering my dad came back to me in a painful rush.
Once we were in Gage’s room, he set me down, and I eased away from him.
“I’ll grab some towels,” Audrey said, walking to the bathroom.
Gage frowned when he saw my face. “What’s wrong?”
I clasped my ice-cold hands together, lifting my chin. “Did you kill my father?”
His lips parted, jaw shifting as he studied my face. “Kill your father?”
“Yes.”
“Why the hell would you ask me that? I know I didn’t exactly make the best first impression, but murder? Seriously?”
Audrey walked back into the room but froze when she saw us.
“Can you give us a minute, Audrey?” Gage kept his gaze locked on mine.
She lifted her eyebrows at me. “Sure.”
Once she left the room, Gage stepped toward me, stopping a few feet away. “I didn’t kill your father.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“I sent you that note, yes, but that’s it.”
I nodded again. “Okay.”
“That’s it?” He ran a hand through his hair before propping his hands on his hips and staring at the floor. “You accuse me of a murder and then it’s ‘okay’?”
“Yes. I shouldn’t have asked you that.” But I needed to hear it from him—to hear him tell me for sure he hadn’t hurt my dad.
“And that’s all?”
I crossed my arms, still cold in my wet clothes, almost wishing I hadn’t said anything at all. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want your apology. I want—” He closed the distance between us and wrapped his warm hands around mine. “I want you to believe me.”
“I do.”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t sound like it.”
I lowered my chin, suddenly feeling wearier than I had in my whole life. “I know. And I’m sorry. It’s just…”
“No, I’m sorry, Link,” Gage said, wrapping his arms around me. “You need to rest. We don’t need to talk about this now.”
I nodded against his chest, then pulled back. “I’m getting you wet.”
He smiled at me. And in that moment, I believed him completely. I believed that he didn’t kill my father or have anything to do with it. I trusted him.
“I don’t care,” he said.
His eyes connected with mine, searching for something. Asking.
“I want this,” I whispered. “I want…something between us. But I’m scared.”
“You’re not going to hurt me, Link.”
His eyes dipped to my lips and it undid me. I put my cool hands against his cheeks, emotion making my throat tight. “Thank you for coming to find me.” I pressed my mouth softly against the corner of his.
His breath caught and he held still as if he thought I’d take it back. Or walk away and leave him here, clearly wanting me, without anything in return.
But I wanted him, too, and Savannah’s temporary disappearance from my mind was making it hard for me to stop myself.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” he said, voice rough. “Just that you were in trouble.” His eyes strayed from mine. “If anything had happened to you…”
I kissed him again, to chase away the worry I saw on his face. To apologize for thinking he killed my father. To show him I understood why he did what he did when I got to Knob Creek.
My mouth was feather-light against his, just a brush and then a nip on his bottom lip. He made a low noise of desire deep in his throat.
“Link, I want you.”
I pressed my lips to his again before nodding. “I know. But I’m freezing. I need to get in the shower.”
“That isn’t a problem for me.”
I shivered and pulled away. “Sorry, this time I think I need to be alone.”
Disappointment flickered in his gaze, but he only nodded. “I understand.”
I started pulling off my shoes. “Besides that, you have a werewolf, a vampire, and a shapeshifter downstairs in your house. I figured you’d be a little more concerned.”
“Not when I’m up here with you.”
He stooped to grab my other foot and loosened the knot on my shoe. I braced my hand on his shoulder, feeling the strength in his muscles. My heartbeat quickened when he glanced up with a lazy smile.
“Need help with anything else?”
“I…” My throat dried. “I don’t know when Savannah is going to come back. I might have to leave soon.”
He stood again and took my hand. “I want you to stay here until I can make sure you’re okay. In fact…” He looked away and shrugged. “We’ll talk about it. Get your shower and meet us downstairs. If we’re all still alive, it’ll be a miracle.”
I opened my mouth, ready to tell him that maybe I should come back down.
“It was a joke.” He brushed his thumb on my cheek. “I shouldn’t have said it.”
I pulled away with a forced smile. “It’s not your fault.”
“God, you look so tired. Are you sure you don’t want to lie down instead? Just for a few hours?”
“No. I want to get warm. And then I want to be around people.”
“Okay. I’ll be downstairs.” He started to the door, then paused. “Did you do that with your hand?”
“What?”
He gestured. “The cut on your hand is gone—the one you had the other night. Did you heal it?”
“Oh.” I’d almost forgotten about it. I hadn’t even told my mother. And now that I’d had some time to think about it, I realized it was important. “Yes. I guess. I’ll tell you about it later.”
He nodded and left the room.
#
I realized in the shower I already knew two ways to help Audrey feel better. One involved Savannah. And the other involved fire. However, I wasn’t sure if either would work.
Afterward, I also took off Savannah’s necklace. It seemed as though that might be one way she was staying linked to me. After all, it was her necklace when she was alive.
But I still felt naked without it as I walked downstairs and into the living room. Someone built a fire and Dylan was pacing, alone, in front of it. He didn’t
notice me until I was halfway across the room.
The fire was warm enough to reach me from here, heating my cheeks, but I moved even closer.
“How’re you feeling?” Dylan asked.
“Tired.”
“I can take you home. I have to get back to work in a while anyway. I can take you there and see if Grace will check back in on you after she’s done with work.”
I held my hands out to the fire, mesmerized by the high flames. Even though the shower was as hot as I could stand it, I was still chilled inside. “It’s okay. I need to talk to Audrey.”
Dylan turned to me, looking lost. “Why did you leave the house? I woke up and you weren’t there. I had no idea what was going on.”
“I found something in my Book of Shadows—a way to stop Savannah from getting into my head. She kept telling me to do horrible things. Especially to Gage.”
His jaw hardened, like he wouldn’t mind being rid of Gage for good.
“And when I thought about taking away her power, she wanted me to hurt you, too. I had to leave.”
Dylan’s expression softened and he pulled me into his arms. “You could have woken me up and told me what was going on.”
“You don’t understand,” I said, my voice muffled against his shirt.
He ran one hand through my damp hair. “I do understand. I understand that you’re so worried about keeping everyone else safe, you’re not taking care of yourself. How did you get in the well?”
“Savannah tricked me.” I closed my eyes for a long moment, relaxing against his chest and tucking my arms close for warmth. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
The sound of footsteps made me open my eyes again. The rest of the group was coming into the room. The corners of Gage’s lips turned down when he saw me in Dylan’s arms, but he didn’t say anything.
I moved to sit on the couch closest to the fire. Audrey draped a blanket across my lap, and I cast her a smile.
“I really need to get to work,” Grace said. She gave me a pointed look. “But I want to know what the hell you were doing stuck at the bottom of well.”
I sighed. “Savannah lured me out there. I was going to try to find her Book of Shadows.”
